Italian dramatic actress who worked primarily in the theatre.

Pagnani was the daughter of a seamstress for the theatre, and she won an amateur acting contest in Bologna in 1928. This accomplishment opened doors for Pagnani, enabling her to become a prima donna. She achieved fame in such plays as Moglie saggia (“Wise Wife”), Ma costanza si comporta bene? (an Italian translation of Somerset Maugham's The Constant Wife), La donna d'altri (“The Woman of Others”), La vita è bella (“Life Is Beautiful”), La porta chiusa (“The Closed Door”), and Famiglie reali (The Royal Family) by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. At this early stage of her career, Pagnani proved her versatility in an eclectic repertory.

Throughout the 1930s and '40s Pagnani changed theatre companies many times and worked with several prominent directors. Though she was known primarily as a dramatic actress who specialized in melancholy or temperamental types, she was equally deft at light comedy and musical comedy. She acted frequently for television during the 1950s and '60s, appearing in Un mese in campagna (“A Month in the Country”) and Léocadia by Jean Anouilh. In the late '60s she achieved a great personal success in the series Commissario Maigret (“Commissioner Maigret”), in which she played, with humanity and charm, the role of Mrs. Maigret to Gino Cervi's lead. In addition to her work in television and the theatre, Pagnani appeared in motion pictures from the early days of Italian filmmaking. Mese Mariano (1928; “Marian Month”), Acqua cheta (1933; “Still Water”), L'orizzonte dipinto (1941; “The Painted Horizon”), I miserabili (1947; Les Miserables), Le infedeli (1953; “The Unfaithful”), and Domenica è sempre domenica (1958; “Sunday Is Always Sunday”) are among her most significant films. Ill health forced her to retire in 1971.